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Bessie Potter Vonnoh (1872–1955), A Young Mother, modeled 1896; cast 1906. Bronze, 14 x 12 1/2 x 15 1/2 in. (35.6 x 31.8 x 39.4 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Rogers Fund, 1906 (06.306).
Photo Credit: Bruce Schwarz / Photograph © 2007 The Metropolitan Museum of Art |
One of the most esteemed sculptors of turn-of-the-century America, Bessie Potter Vonnoh created domestically-scaled bronzes and garden statuary depicting women and children. Intimate and impressionistically modeled, her works earned her numerous accolades throughout her lifetime, including election to the National Academy of Design, National Sculpture Society, and American Academy of Arts and Letters. The exhibition features thirty-five sculptures from 1895 to 1930 and two portraits of the artist by her painter-husband, Robert Vonnoh. Developed by Julie Aronson, Curator of American Painting and Sculpture at the Cincinnati Art Museum and recognized scholar on Bessie Potter Vonnoh, this exhibition is the first touring exhibition of this sculptor’s work and celebrates the contribution of women artists to American cultural history. The exhibition is accompanied a fully illustrated publication, the first devoted to Vonnoh’s sculpture, published by Ohio University Press in association with the Cincinnati Art Museum.
Listen to Curator Julie Aronson discuss Bessie Potter Vonnoh on WVXU's "Around Cincinnati" on May 31, 2009 here (MP3).
Bessie Potter Vonnoh: Sculptor of Women is made possible by
Presenting Sponsors:
The Henry Luce Foundation
Frisch's Restaurants
Supporting Sponsors:
National Endowment for the Arts
Women’s Committee of the Cincinnati Art Museum
Fine Arts Fund Partners:
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Macy’s
Bessie Potter Vonnoh: Sculptor of Women is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue co-published with Ohio University Press. Authored by exhibition and Art Museum curator Julie Aronson, the leading scholar on Vonnoh, Bessie Potter Vonnoh: Sculptor of Women is the first publication exclusively dedicated to Vonnoh’s career. The catalogue also includes an essay on connoisseurship by American sculpture expert Janis Conner. The catalogue is available for purchase in the Art Museum Shop for $39.95 (soft cover) or $60 (hardcover). Please call the Art Museum Shop at (513) 639-2959 for more information.
The companion exhibition to Bessie Potter Vonnoh: Sculptor of Women, this exhibition explores the portrayal of women in more than twenty rarely seen prints, drawings, and photographs from the Art Museum’s permanent collections. Made during an era of rapidly evolving social roles, these works depict women at work and at leisure; as mothers, consumers, and studio models. Featured are works by artists James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Mary Cassatt, Elizabeth Nourse, Edward Hopper and others.
June 12, 2 p.m.
FREE, Reservations requested
Explore the exhibition Bessie Potter Vonnoh: Sculptor of Women through the eyes of a mother. Discover the artist’s fascination with motherhood with Marion Cosgrove Rauch, Associate Curator of Family Learning and Interpretation.
Sunday, July 12, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
FREE. Café reservations suggested, call the Café at 639-2986.
Celebrate the special relationship of mothers and daughters at the Art Museum. Enjoy a tour of the special exhibition Bessie Potter Vonnoh: Sculptor of Women with Curator of American Painting and Sculpture Julie Aronson, special activities for mothers and daughters do together, a book signing at the Museum Shop, plus a special brunch menu in the Terrace Café.
July 21–24, 1:30–3:30 p.m.
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED Cost per four class session: $100 general admission, $50 for Art Museum members.
Delve into art this summer at the Art Museum. Young artists ages 6 to 12 get an in-depth look at the special exhibition Bessie Potter Vonnoh: Sculptor of Women through interactive tours, creating their own sculpture, and more. On Friday, they will showcase their work in an art show for parents and relatives.
Please click here for a full list of Summer Art Connections session dates and themes.
Saturday, July 18, 1 – 4 p.m.
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED, $20 general admission, $10 for Art Museum members
Experience the joys of working with clay. Students will learn how to create a human likeness in clay using the exhibition Bessie Potter Vonnoh: Sculptor of Women as inspiration. Materials and instruction included.
July 28 – 30, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED $120 general admission; $60 for Art Museum members
Explore three-dimensional art in the special exhibitions Bessie Potter Vonnoh: Sculptor of Women and Outside the Ordinary: Contemporary Art in Glass, Wood, and Ceramics from the Wolf Collection, plus the Art Museum’s permanent collections, and learn how to incorporate it into your classroom. The three-day workshop features lectures, art making activities, docent-led tours, lesson plans and a field trip, plus breakfast and lunch daily. Participants also have the opportunity to earn one graduate-level credit hour through Ashland University.
Saturday August 8, 15, and 22, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
RESERVATIONS REQUESTED Cost for three-day series: $30 general admission; $15 for Art Museum members. Cost per session: $12 general admission; $6 for Art Museum members
Explore the influence of women artists on art history in a three-day class series.
August 8: Women Painters in the Cincinnati Art Museum with Emily Holtrop, Curator of Learning & Interpretation
View women artists featured in the Art Museum’s permanent collections.
August 15: Women Sculptors with Julie Aronson, Curator of American Painting & Sculpture
Go in-depth on the special exhibition Bessie Potter Vonnoh: Sculptor of Women.
August 22: Contemporary Craft and Women Artists with Amy Dehan, Associate Curator of Decorative Art & Design
Explore the work of contemporary women artists in Outside the Ordinary: Contemporary Art in Glass, Wood, and Ceramics from the Wolf Collection.